In honor of Women’s History Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to participate in a series of essays reflecting on identity, music, culture, inclusion, and more.

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Today, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Christine Bauer shares a special essay about her decision to leave the ‘safe’ path behind and pursue the life she was always meant to live, for Atwood Magazine’s Women’s History Month series!

Says Bauer, “After years of keeping music on the sidelines in pursuit of a so-called ‘safe’ path, this self-taught singer-songwriter has finally embraced the truth – music was meant for me all along. With a newfound trust in my intuition, a voice sharpened by experience, and a spirit awakened to the power of risk, I’m stepping fully into the artist I was always destined to be.”

A self-taught guitarist and songwriter since her teenage years, Christine Bauer has carved out a space for herself with her authenticity and deeply resonant storytelling. Her debut EP in 2013 set the foundation for her career, and her music has since been featured on major Spotify playlists. She has been featured on WSMV’s Today in Nashville, solidifying her place as a rising force in country music.

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THE ‘SAFE’ ROUTE ALMOST BROKE ME; MUSIC PUT ME BACK TOGETHER

by Christine Bauer

I didn’t follow the projected path.

I didn’t “invest” in myself as an artist soon enough. I  couldn’t see how, nor did I have the means to. And maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t ready then anyway. But the longer I’ve been in the music industry, and the longer this love of music has shown me the magic, the more I’m willing to give it my all and risk it all, regardless of  projection. I look back at this self-taught singer-songwriter, a young woman fresh out of high school, knowing what I wanted but not fully chasing it. And I see the error in my ways. I believed everything had to be a certain way and go a certain way. I believed just because I  wanted it, didn’t mean it was meant for me. I believed those lies.

And so, instead, I went  another route and kept music on the side as more of a hobby. I took the “safe” route, but by  no means did it turn out to be a healthy route. If anything, I’d argue the “safe” route has  nearly killed me, but that’s an article for a different day, in a different magazine. Ironically,  and thankfully however, music has been my safe place to land. At the lonesome soul level,  it has been the one thing keeping life together for me all these years. I regret that I didn’t  see this early on and invest in myself sooner, but I also don’t think I’d be the artist I am  today without all the other experiences leading me to this point. I’ve always been an old  soul with a young heart, feeling everything deeply.

But as for anyone experiencing the gift of  time, I have become more in tune with who I am and how I feel, and more aware of my  connections with the natural and spiritual world. I have experienced and released more  anger, sadness, and pain in the last year than ever before, and it just so happened to be my  most successful year in music (yet). And as more and more miracles have happened over  the years, with synchronicities hard to explain, I have come to realize music has been meant for me all along. It only took a moment of everything crumbling down to finally see. I firmly believe that what interests us, is meant for us. What we care so deeply about,  what fills us with so much joy and emotion, is what we are supposed to do. Sometimes we  just don’t listen. Sometimes ego gets in the way. Sometimes fear takes hold.

Sometimes  other voices repeat the lies they were told, and sometimes so do our own. But I am so  grateful for the journey I’ve been on, and the lessons learned. I’m glad it went this way.  Because if it hadn’t, I’m not sure I would have learned my biggest lesson yet, and that is to trust myself enough to stand up for myself. The “safe” route taught me how to stand up and  fight for what is right, not just for others but also myself. And when someone goes through  the trauma of that, it changes them. It changes their perspective of everything and gives  more power to their voice, which I rely on heavily as a singer-songwriter and a woman.

I was born with the feminine gift of an inner knowing, the intuition everyone talks about.

I’ve  woken up to it greatly in the last couple years, trying to balance it with the masculine strong hold. My intuition these days tells me to go for it, to give it my all in music. So does the ear  ringing while I write this essay. I have so many loving people cheering me on and supporting my music, more than I could have ever dreamed. And I am surrounded by such  amazing talent and dedication supporting my own.

I want to lean into that. I want to lean into what’s good in my life, not the false sense of security that only leads people to their deaths sooner. So, I’m ready for something better. I deserve it. We all deserve it. It’s time to follow that projected path. – Christine Bauer

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:: connect with Christine Bauer here ::

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Stream: “Crumble” – Christine Bauer

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